The Book of Job: Pl. 8, Let the Day perish wherein I was Born by William Blake is a profound engraving created in 1825. This print is one of 21 plates comprising Blake's final and most celebrated illustrated book, Illustrations of the Book of Job. As a master of relief etching and engraving, Blake used the precision of the medium to convey the emotional and theological intensity of the Old Testament narrative.
This plate depicts the moment of Job’s absolute despair, referenced in Job 3:3, where he curses the day of his birth following the loss of his family and fortune. Blake visually captures the scene of suffering, showing Job and his wife sitting in anguish among the ashes, visited by their three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) who have come to console him. The composition employs attenuated figures and dramatic symmetry, characteristic of Blake’s late style, focusing intense light on the figures while darkening the surrounding spiritual and terrestrial realms.
Blake’s visionary interpretation of Job remains one of the most influential cycles of graphic art produced in the United Kingdom during the Romantic era. These highly detailed prints demonstrate the meticulous hand of the artist, creating a powerful dialog between text and image that has captivated theologians and art historians alike. Works such as The Book of Job are essential examples of early 19th-century British prints. This specific impression is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, contributing significantly to the study of Blake’s unique mythological and technical achievements.
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